Device for continuously operating band conveyers

ABSTRACT

A device for continuously operating band conveyors to carry on the transport of conveyed objects, e.g. egg cartons, at a preselected distance from one another in the traveling direction, comprising a conveyor band running over support rollers for said band, stop means provided over the upper advancing part of the conveyor band, a pressure member provided over the conveyor band seen in the traveling direction of the band prior to the stop, the said pressure member being adapted to press an object which has arrived at the stop means downwardly so that the said object may advance beneath the stop means.

limited States Patent [54] DEVICE FOR CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING BANDCWNVEYERS. 9 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] US. Cl WWM B65g 37/30 Field oil Search 198/34, 20

m1 s aman Primary Examiner-Joseph Wegbreit Attorney-Pennie, Edmonds,Morton, Taylor and Adams Ailhfi'llllilli fi'liz A device forcontinuously operating band conveyors to carry on the transport ofconveyed objects, e.g. egg cartons, at a preselected distance from oneanother in the traveling direction, comprising a conveyor band runningover support rollers'for said band, stop means provided over the upperadvancing part of the conveyor band, a pressure member provided over theconveyor band seen in the traveling direction of the band prior to thestop, the said pressure member being adapted to press an object whichhas arrived at the stop means downwardly so that the said object mayadvance beneath the stop means.

PATENTEnniczl an 3; 6281.652

TNVENTOR ATTORNEYS DEVICE FUR CONTINUOUSLY OPERATING BAND CGNVEYERSContinuously operating band conveyors have often to carry on thetransport of conveyed objects to a preselected distance from one anotherin the traveling direction, e.g. when egg cartons which are conveyed inclose succession from a source of supply thereafter have to betransported at an increased distance from one another to a printingapparatus where they are provided with an imprint. In the following theinvention will be explained on the basis of this example.

To meet this requirement according to the invention a stop is providedat a point between revolving rollers of a conveyor band over the upperadvancing part of the band normally at a distance from the band smallerthan the height of the objects to be conveyed, a pressure member beingprovided over the conveyor band prior to or in advance of the stop asseen in the traveling direction of the band, which said member can bemoved from a position wherein the distance from the lower end of thepressure member to the upper part of the conveyor band is greater thanthe height of the conveyed objects, and at least to a position whereinthe lower end of the member is on a level with that of the stop.

When the pressure member is in its first-mentioned position and anobject is advancing, the movement of the object will be arrested by thestop, while the conveyor band continues to move forward below theobject. When at a preselected time the object is to be carried furtherso that a preselected distance from a preceding object is obtained, thepressure member is set in motion and presses the object against theband. Since the stop is arranged at a point between the revolvingrollers of the conveyor band, the band will yield to said pressure andthe object will be pressed against the band to such an extent that itsoutermost end is released from the stop. Consequently, the object ispulled out from under the stop by the conveyor band and continues totravel at the desired distance from the preceding object.

According to the invention the stop may be so designed or positionedthat it cooperates only with the outermost end portion of the object,facing farthest away from the conveyor band.

This embodiment is particularly advantageous when the objects, e.g., areegg cartons of fiber mass cast on a suction mold. As a rule the cartonsare transported with their bottoms facing away from the band, and in allessentials the stop will therefore act on the cartons at a pointadjacent the bottom, where in spite of the fragility of the fibermaterial the cartons are sufficiently resistant to damage by the stop.

According to the invention the pressure member may consist of aswingable arm extending in the longitudinal direction of the conveyorband, the swinging axis of the arm seen in the traveling direction ofthe conveyor lying prior to or in advance of the stop, the arm extendingfrom said axis towards the stop. Thus, a particularly lenient pressingdown of the object is achieved, and when the object is released from thestop it is pulled away from the swingable arm by the conveyor band.

According to the invention the swingable arm may carry on its free end apressure plate extending across the band conveyor and having roundededges so as to avoid damage to the object.

According to the invention another conveyor for further transport of theobjects may be provided at the rear of the band conveyor as seen in thetraveling direction, said conveyor being provided with holding membersfor the conveyed objects, the objects on this conveyor thus being heldat the distance from one another obtained by means of the devicedescribed in the foregoing. The pressure member and the second conveyorare expediently synchronously driven, and according to the invention ina simple embodiment of a driving means the swingable arm is driven by aneccentric drive connected to the advancing mechanism of the secondconveyor.

The invention will now be explained in more detail, reference being hadto the diagrammatic drawing wherein FIGS. L3 show an embodiment of amechanism according to the invention,

MG. 1 showing the mechanism in a position wherein an object has beenarrested by the stop of the mechanism,

FIG. 2 showing the same mechanism in the position wherein the objectconcerned has been pressed away from the stop by a pressure memberpertaining to the mechanism, and

FIG. 3 showing the released object after having been advanced, at thesame time as another object has arrived at the stop.

A stop 6 is positioned above a section II of the upper part of a bandconveyor 2 at a point between two revolving rollers A and 5 for theband,the main traveling direction of section ll of the conveyor beingindicated by an arrow 3, said stop in the form of an angular barextending across the band. The distance between section ll of the bandand the lower end of the stop 6 in the position shown in FIG. 1 issmaller than the height of an egg carton 7 which is conveyed bottom up,so that the carton 7 with its upper end will impinge on the stop 6, asshown. The drawing shows that section ll forms an acute angle with themain traveling direction indicated by the arrow 3, or runs at an inclinefrom the roller 6 to roller 5.

A pressure member in the form of a swingable arm 8 is positioned in thetraveling direction prior to or in advance of the stop 6, said armextending in the longitudinal direction of the conveyor band andpointing towards the stop 6, the numeral 9 indicating the shaft of theswingable arm. On its free end the swingable arm 6 carries a pressureplate: I0 which has rounded edges llll extending across the conveyorband.

Another conveyor 12 is positioned at the rear of the band conveyor 2 andis provided with block-shaped holding members 13 for the egg cartons,the cartons being placed on the blocks with their open sides down, asindicated to the left in FIG. 1.

The driving shaft M of the conveyor 112 has an eccentric disc 15 havingprojections I6 and depressions 17. The direction of rotation of theshaft and of the disc is indicated by an arrow I6. An angular arm 119cooperates with said eccentric disc, one of its legs carrying a roller20 which bears against the edge of the eccentric disc 15, the other legbeing oscillatably connected to a rod 211 which is oscillatablyconnected to a radial arm 22 fixed to the shaft 9. The numeral 23indicates the pivot shaft on which the angular arm 119 is oscillated.

According to the invention the section I of the conveyor band positionedbelow the stop 6 may form an acute angle with the main travelingdirection of the band conveyor, thus facilitating the Work of thepressure member 10.

An endless revolving holding-on band 26 is provided above thejunctionbetween the conveyors 2 and 12.

The mode of operation is as follows.

The forward movement of the egg carton 7 on the conveyor band 2 isarrested by the stop 6, and on account of the roller 20 resting on aneccentric projection 16 the pressure plate 10 of the swingable arm 8 ismaintained at such a height that the object escapes the pressure plate110, as shown in FIGS. I and 3. The conveyor band moves forwardcontinuously under the egg carton.

Upon continued rotation of the shaft M the roller 20 enters a depression17 whereby the pressure place 16 is swung down until its underside is atleast at a level with the lower end of the stop 6, see FIG. 2 in whichthe underside of the plate 10 is below the level of the bottom of thestop 6. The foremost part of the carton 7 is thereby pressed down, andat the same time section I of the band yields to the pressure so thatthe foremost part of the egg carton arrives below the stop 6. Theconveyor band 2 now pulls the carton 7! away from under the stop andcarries it towards the conveyor 12. Then the roller 20 will again cometo rest on a projection IE6, so that the swingable arm 8 with thepressure plate It) is again swung upwardly, whereupon another carton 7arrives at the stop 6, see FIG. 3.

In the meantime the carton 7 has been carried forward so far that it isreceived on a holding member 13. FIGS. 2 and 3 show in particular thatthe arrangement ensures that a holding member 113 is ready to receive anegg carton every time a carton has been released from the stop by meansof the swingable arm 6 and has been carried forward.

The shown mechanism may be used for example as an intermediate unitbetween a storage pile of egg cartons at the right side of thedrawing-and a printing machine at the left side of the drawing whereeach ofthe cartons will receive an imprint.

It will be understood that the operation of the individual members mayalso be controlled in other ways, eg electrically or pneumatically.

In the shown embodiment the traveling direction is mainly horizontal,but the invention is also useful when the traveling direction is mainlyvertical.

Having now fully described my invention 1 claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

1. A mechanism for the transport of objects, e.g. egg cartons, and fordelivering them at a preselected distance from one another in thedirection of travel thereof, comprising a conveyor band running overspaced rollers for supporting the band, stop means provided at a pointbetween the positions of two such spaced-apart rollers for stopping saidobjects, said stop means being located above the upper section of theconveyor band advancing over said spaced-apart rollers, said stop meansbeing positioned st a distance from the band smaller than the height ofthe objects to be conveyed thereon, a pressure member located over theconveyor band prior to or in advance of the stop means as seen in thedirection of travel of the band, means for moving the pressure memberfrom a position wherein the distance from its lower end to the uppersection of the conveyor band is greater than the height of the conveyedobjects, and wherein said pressure member is movable by said movingmeans to a position wherein the lower end of said pressure member is atleast as low as the lower part of the stop means thereby permitting themovement of a stopped object below the stop means by the conveyor band.

2. A mechanism asrclaimed in claim 1, characterized inthat the stopmeans is such that it cooperates only with the outermost end portion ofthe object facing farthest away from the conveyor band.

3. A mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressuremember comprises a swingable arm extending in the longitudinal directionof the conveyor band and pivoted on an axis located in advance of thestop means as seen from the direction of movement of the conveyor band,said swingable arm extending from said pivot axis toward the stop means.

4, A.mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that a pressureplate is carried on the free end of the swingable arm located toward thestop means, said pressure plate extending above and across the conveyorband and having rounded edges.

5. A mechanism according to claim 1, characterized by including a secondconveyor for receiving objects from said conveyor band, holding memberslocated along said second conveyor for receiving objects in successionfrom the conveyor band.

6. A mechanism according to claim 5, characterized by including a meansfor driving the conveyor band and the second conveyor in synchronismwith each other.

7. A mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in that the secondconveyor includes an advancing mechanism including an eccentric drivemeans, and means actuated by the eccentric drive for moving theswingable arm from one of its positions to the other.

8. A mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the sectionof the conveyor band advancing over said spacedapart rollers extends atan acute angle with respect to the general course of run of the conveyorband.

9. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure member ismovable by said moving means to a position engaging an object stopped bysaid stop means and for depressing it and the conveyor band at theposition of the stop means to an extent permitting said band to carrythe object under the stop means.

1. A mechanism for the transport of objects, e.g. egg cartons, and fordelivering them at a preselected distance from one another in thedirection of travel thereof, comprising a conveyor band running overspaced rollers for supporting the band, stop means provided at a pointbetween the positions of two such spaced-apart rollers for stopping saidobjects, said stop means being located above the upper section of theconveyor band advancing over said spaced-apart rollers, said stop meansbeing positioned st a distance from the band smaller than the height ofthe objects to be conveyed thereon, a pressure member located over theconveyor band prior to or in advance of the stop means as seen in thedirection of travel of the band, means for moving the pressure memberfrom a position wherein the distance from its lower end to the uppersection of the conveyor band is greater than the height of the conveyedobjects, and wherein said pressure member is movable by said movingmeans to a position wherein the lower end of said pressure member is atleast as low as the lower part of the stop means thereby permitting themovement of a stopped object below the stop means by the conveyor band.2. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the stopmeans is such that it cooperates only with the outermost end portion ofthe object facing farthest away from the conveyor band.
 3. A mechanismaccording to claim 1, characterized in that the pressure membercomprises a swingable arm extending in the longitudinal direction of theconveyor band and pivoted on an axis located in advance of the stopmeans as seen from the direction of movement of the conveyor band, saidswingable arm extending from said pivot axis toward the stop means.
 4. Amechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that a pressure plateis carried on the free end of the swingable arm located toward the stopmeans, said Pressure plate extending above and across the conveyor bandand having rounded edges.
 5. A mechanism according to claim 1,characterized by including a second conveyor for receiving objects fromsaid conveyor band, holding members located along said second conveyorfor receiving objects in succession from the conveyor band.
 6. Amechanism according to claim 5, characterized by including a means fordriving the conveyor band and the second conveyor in synchronism witheach other.
 7. A mechanism according to claim 6, characterized in thatthe second conveyor includes an advancing mechanism including aneccentric drive means, and means actuated by the eccentric drive formoving the swingable arm from one of its positions to the other.
 8. Amechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that the section of theconveyor band advancing over said spaced-apart rollers extends at anacute angle with respect to the general course of run of the conveyorband.
 9. A mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein the pressure memberis movable by said moving means to a position engaging an object stoppedby said stop means and for depressing it and the conveyor band at theposition of the stop means to an extent permitting said band to carrythe object under the stop means.